Danny Ainge on drafting Marcus Smart: 'We couldn't find one person that wasn't in love'

Danny Ainge appeared on 98.5 The Sports Hub's "Toucher & Rich" show Thursday morning.  Among the topics of conversation was the Celtics selection of Marcus Smart with the No. 6 pick in the draft this year.  Said Ainge:

We knew a lot about Marcus' background. With the challenges that he had in his young youth, it was pretty impressive what he had become as a young adult. I think that the inspiration that he had provided and the example that he had set for so many of his teammates and coaches — I mean, we couldn't find one person that wasn't in love with Marcus as a player and as a leader and that wouldn't have bought stock in Marcus' future. That's pretty impressive with the circumstances he grew up in.

If you heaven't read up on what Smart has gone through, take a look at this piece by The Boston Globe's Baxter Holmes.  Smart's childhood in Lancaster, Texas involved numerous tragic deaths of friends and family members, as well as brushes with gang violence that left him lucky to be alive.  Holmes quotes Smart saying "I just wake up and I thank God every day, because I easily could’ve been in jail or six feet under."



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